Miriam Delaney

Miriam Delaney is one of the novel's three main characters. She has not left her home for three years because, in her mind, this was necessary to protect the world from her madness. Miriam is understandably frightened by the fact that when she was attacked in the forest, she scratched the attacker's eyes. Miriam equated this "madness" to that of her mother, whose actions throughout Miriam's childhood were frightening. However, Miriam has sequestered herself for deeper reasons than just this. She believes that her voice does not matter in the world, and she believes that she is worthless. These beliefs were ingrained upon her by her mother.

From the beginning of the novel, Miriam is a hopeful character. She is highly aware of her problems, and knows exactly what she must do to try to overcome them. Though some of these tasks feel insurmountable to her, Miriam...